Comparing Dry Foods -- with NO: Corn, Soy, Peas, Potatoes or Fish

Thanks to everyone who helped in the "My New Dry Food Challenge!" thread.  

In the event that someone at some point needs a Dry food with these same restrictions,

I thought I'd summarize our findings here, and hopefully get some feedback on the contenders.

Note: I feed dry as a between meal snack, as I feel wetter is better for the Kitties.  

Restrictions:

Corn, Soy;  Over 90% of corn and soy in the US is now Genetically Modified, and has likely been sprayed directly with glyphosate or has pesticide DNA in its genes, which has been shown to pass with the food to the animal who eats it, where it remains in the digestive system.

Peas, Potatoes;  3 of my Kitties seem to have developed an allergy to one or both.

Fish;  One of my Kitties has Urinary Tract issues. 

The "Baseline" :

(Our regular food which is temporarily off the menu due to a "recallathon.")

California Natural Chicken and Brown Rice

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Rice, Chicken Fat, Natural Flavors, Sunflower Oil, Flaxseed, Vitamins, Potassium Chloride, Minerals, Taurine, DL-Methionine), Rosemary Extract

Analysis:

Moisture10.00%
Protein 36.00%
Fat16.00%
Fiber 3.50%

I love the short and simple ingredient list. My Kitties love this food.

The "Contenders":

PetGuard Premium Cat & Kitten

Fresh Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brown Rice, Sunflower Oil, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Fish Oil, Dried Whole Eggs, Dried Kelp, Dried Whey, Brewer's Yeast, Calcium Ascorbate (Source of Vitamin C), Apple Fiber, Alfalfa Meal, Sea Salt, DL-Methionine, Lecithin, Taurine, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, L-Lysine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin A Supplement, Ergocalciferol (Source of Viatmin D2), Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (Source of B2), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine (Source of Vitamin B1), Biotin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source of Vitamin B6), Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite.

Analysis:

Ash (maximum)5.00%
Calcium (minimum)1.00%
Phosphorus (minimum)0.80%
Magnesium (maximum)0.10%
Taurine (minimum)0.12%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (minimum)1.80%
Omega-6 Fatty Acids (minimum)7.20%
Moisture (maximum)12.00%
Crude Protein (minimum)30.00%
Crude Fat (minimum)15.00%
Crude Fiber (maximum)3.00%

Cost: About $34. for 18 pounds on PFD with AutoShip.
 

Not thrilled with the Yucca, but I like the eggs, kelp and brewer's yeast.

This food seems to fit my rather specific requirements.

I researched and learned that Fish Oil is recommended for cats with Urinary Tract issues!

Precise Holistic Complete Adult Chicken Formula

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbyl Palmitate), Dried Egg Product, Citrus Fiber, Natural Flavor, Lecithin, Menhaden Fish Oil, Dried Kelp, Dried Carrots, Dried Cranberries, Dried Blueberries, Chamomile, Dandelion, Peppermint, Rosemary, Turmeric, Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 6086, Chicory Root (a source of Inulin), Potassium Chloride, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Phosphoric Acid, Taurine, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Riboflavin Supplement, L-Lysine, DL-Methionine, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate.

Analysis:

Crude Protein 32.0% (min)
Crude Fat 20.0% (min)
Crude Fiber 3.0% (max)
Moisture 10.0% (max)
Ash 7.0% (max)
Magnesium (Mg) 0.095% (max)
Calcium (Ca) 1.1% (min)
Phosphorus (P) 0.85% (min)
Taurine 0.2% (min)

Cost: About $34. for 15 pounds on PFD with AutoShip.

Still not sure about the Yucca - thought it was bad for cats? I know it is an anti-inflammatory,

and it is also sold as a supplement on the 1800PetMeds site. 

Peppermint? (seems to aid in digestion, with IBS, and has anti-cancer properties.)

Dandelion and Turmeric have many great benefits (I take both myself.)

Dried Egg "Product"?

Does the Ash content seems a little high?

Honorable Mentions:

 

In terms of perceived quality and reputation, Wysong Epigen 90 is the clear winner.

However, at $72. for 16 pounds, this is way out of my budget range.

As far as value goes, Kirkland Signature Maintenance Cat Food seems like a dream!

Ingredient list is very similar to California Natural, and cost seems to be around $20. for 25 pounds!

Is the quality similar to CN? Personally, I have my doubts, but I will buy a bag to add to the Ferals' rotation, and if it smells good, I might let the Resident Kitties give it a taste.

OK, anyone have any thoughts or observations on the 2 "Contenders"?

Thanks Much!!!  

It looks pretty close but the Petguard has no fruit and has whole egg instead of egg product. I think I would go with that one.

smitten4kittens said:

It looks pretty close but the Petguard has no fruit and has whole egg instead of egg product. I think I would go with that one.

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I agree and second the vote for the Petguard.

I thought cats couldn't have brewers yeast, oatmeal,cirtis,pepperment

and what is whey?

and i wouldn't feed neither

Whey is dairy protein. No lactose. . .a good source of protein for people. And it is animal-based so maybe it's a good protein source for cats, too :dk:. I'll have to look into that.

Cats CAN have oatmeal, it's not toxic or anything. It's just another grain, and all dry foods need some starch to hold them together. I would prefer oats over potatoes, honestly. Brewer's yeast is probably harmless, but I don't know if it's of any benefit to cats. The other stuff, yeah, that's weird. But it must be in very small amounts or I doubt cats would eat it.

Of the two I'd go with Petguard.

Willowy said:

Whey is dairy protein. No lactose. . .a good source of protein for people. And it is animal-based so maybe it's a good protein source for cats, too

. I'll have to look into that.

Cats CAN have oatmeal, it's not toxic or anything. It's just another grain, and all dry foods need some starch to hold them together. I would prefer oats over potatoes, honestly. Brewer's yeast is probably harmless, but I don't know if it's of any benefit to cats. The other stuff, yeah, that's weird. But it must be in very small amounts or I doubt cats would eat it.

Of the two I'd go with Petguard.

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some people say no to brewers yeast and some say its okay i get confused and i didnt say oatmeal was poison or something i heard they couldn't digest it proberly

Well, cats can't really digest any grains properly. . .oats are no different :dk:. But nearly all kibbles contain some kind of grain or starch, so it's more a matter of picking whatever you think is least objectionable.

Willowy said:

Well, cats can't really digest any grains properly. . .oats are no different

. But nearly all kibbles contain some kind of grain or starch, so it's more a matter of picking whatever you think is least objectionable.

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I do wonder about the grain free foods. They usually just add potatoes instead. Why would a potato be any healthier for a cat than grains? I'm not sure it is.

smitten4kittens said:

I do wonder about the grain free foods. They usually just add potatoes instead. Why would a potato be any healthier for a cat than grains? I'm not sure it is.

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I agree!   

About 6 months after switching to exclusively GF foods, one of my Kitties developed a bad UTI.

Additionally, 3 Kitties showed signs of a food allergy (itching, mowing.) Since peas & potatoes were the main ingredients that they had not been eating before the switch,

I decided that we would go to Brown Rice rather than peas and potatoes for their Dry snacks. Everyone's allergies have cleared up, so I feel it must have been one of the two.

For their wet foods, I still feed EVO 95% and BG Quail, but I have added Natural Balance Chicken & Chicken Liver, and NB Turkey & Giblets,

as well as Soulistic Good Karma (shredded chicken in gravy) and the one with shredded chicken and pumpkin.

Mewlittle said:

I thought cats couldn't have brewers yeast...

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Actually, Brewer's Yeast has tremendous nutritional value, including protein, B vitamins and amino acids among others.

Additionally, it is recommended for anemic people - It helped me bring one of my Kitties back to health when he was so anemic that the Dr wanted to do a transfusion.

Instead, I started feeding him Beef Liver and EVO with Brewer's Yeast - within 7 days, his blood work was back to normal.

I still use it as a weekly supplement in my Kitties' canned food.

Oh, for whatever reason, fleas and ticks do not like it, so it helps repel them as well.

By the way, some Brewer's Yeast products contain garlic - perhaps that is why some people warn against it. 

I use Solgar (Human Grade) Debittered Brewer's Yeast (with no additives) from iHerb.

I do wonder about the grain free foods. They usually just add potatoes instead. Why would a potato be any healthier for a cat than grains? I'm not sure it is.

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I feel this way, too. Potatoes seem even more unnatural for a cat to eat than grains!! I'd personally rather my cat eat a little bit of grain than stuff like potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, peas, blueberries, apples, etc. that a lot of them put in.   It's just a marketing gimmick, like "Ooh, look, we're grain free!!", when really all they've done is replace one carb with another.  I guess they think people are too stupid to catch on to this.....

SevenWonders said:

Actually, Brewer's Yeast has tremendous nutritional value, including protein, B vitamins and amino acids among others.

Additionally, it is recommended for anemic people - It helped me bring one of my Kitties back to health when he was so anemic that the Dr wanted to do a transfusion.

Instead, I started feeding him Beef Liver and EVO with Brewer's Yeast - within 7 days, his blood work was back to normal.

I still use it as a weekly supplement in my Kitties' canned food.

Oh, for whatever reason, fleas and ticks do not like it, so it helps repel them as well.

By the way, some Brewer's Yeast products contain garlic - perhaps that is why some people warn against it. 

I use Solgar (Human Grade) Debittered Brewer's Yeast (with no additives) from iHerb.

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Oh okay maybe i can try it can you send me a link to the brewers yeast? my mom loves that stuff so maybe she'll like that one better

Krysta said:

I feel this way, too. Potatoes seem even more unnatural for a cat to eat than grains!! I'd personally rather my cat eat a little bit of grain than stuff like potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, peas, blueberries, apples, etc. that a lot of them put in.   It's just a marketing gimmick, like "Ooh, look, we're grain free!!", when really all they've done is replace one carb with another.  I guess they think people are too stupid to catch on to this.....

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Yes, unfortunately the general public can be very mislead with the new grain frees. People have now learned that grains are not good, but they have yet to learn the "other" carbs that are now being added may also not be all that great. So they are lead to believe they are feeding some of the best stuff out there cause it's "grain free". I was one of them. I thought I was feeding mine great food till they got diarrhea. Started to do more reading and found catinfo.org and this site, and immediately changed their diet.

Mewlittle said:

Oh okay maybe i can try it can you send me a link to the brewers yeast? my mom loves that stuff so maybe she'll like that one better

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Sure - I sent you a PM with the link, and my Discount Code as well 

Well, I went with the consensus.

I ordered a big bag of PetGuard, but I also ordered a 3 lb bag of the Precise Holistic,

just in case they didn't like the PG. Glad I did...

PFD was out of PG on the East Coast, so they sent the rest of my order right away

but the PG is coming from CA. In the meantime, they are enjoying the Precise Holistic.

I'll follow up again after they have a chance to try the PetGuard.